HARRY MASON FROM KEIGHLEY SENTENCED FOR DECADES-OLD CHILD ABUSE IN CROSS HILLS
In a long-awaited culmination of justice, Harry Mason, aged 58 and residing on Hardings Lane in Cross Hills, has been sentenced to over eight years in prison after a jury convicted him of multiple sexual offences committed against two young victims during the 1970s in the Keighley area.The case, which spanned decades of legal proceedings, finally brought Mason to justice at Bradford Crown Court.
It was revealed during the trial that Mason had begun abusing the children when he was still a teenager himself.
The court heard harrowing details of how Mason used threats and manipulation to silence his victims.
Recorder John Thackray described how Mason had threatened to kill the young boy’s parents if he disclosed the abuse, a tactic that kept the victim silent for years.
The court also learned that Mason had used gifts such as magazines and sweets to bribe the girl, luring her away with the innocent pretense of searching for jigsaws, thereby grooming her for abuse.
Throughout the proceedings, Mason denied all allegations.
However, the jury found him guilty of seven sexual offences involving both victims, despite acquitting him on some of the initial charges.
The court emphasized the profound and lasting impact Mason’s actions had on the victims, who are legally protected from identification.
Recorder Thackray highlighted that both victims are still haunted by their experiences, with the female victim suffering from flashbacks and the male victim enduring nightmares, especially due to Mason’s threats to kill his parents.
During sentencing, Recorder Thackray described Mason’s acts as “vile and disgusting,” underscoring the severity of his crimes.
The judge pointed out that the abuse inflicted upon the female victim had caused her suffering beyond what is typically seen in such cases, based on her emotional testimony.
The male victim’s abuse was characterized as opportunistic, but the fear instilled by Mason’s threats left lasting scars.
As a result of his conviction, Mason was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, with an additional one-year license period.
He will remain incarcerated until the Parole Board considers his case for release.
Furthermore, Mason is required to register as a sex offender with the police for the remainder of his life.
The judge dismissed Mason’s work record and testimonials as insignificant in light of the gravity of his crimes, emphasizing that the victims had endured forty years of suffering due to his actions.
